Two men plead guilty in string of bank robberies including one in Oneida

SYRACUSE >> Two 21-year-old men have pleaded guilty to committing a string of bank robberies.

One of them admitted to the Jan. 13 robbery of the Alliance Bank on Genesee Street in Oneida, in which he netted $2,240.

United States Attorney Richard S. Hartunian said on Wednesday that Zachariah Edwards, of Frankfort, and Nicholas Ferrone, of Utica, admitted robbing:

o Chase Bank in Syracuse of $2,156 on Jan. 14

Advertisement

o Berkshire Bank in Guilderland, of $2,566 on Jan. 23;

o Chase Bank in Dewitt, of $4,681 on Jan. 28;

o Trustco Bank in Guilderland, of $1,930 on Feb. 13;

o Bank of America in Chicopee, Mass. of $3,300 on Feb. 25;

o Key Bank in Schenectady, of $3,700 on Mar. 1;

o M&T Bank in Syracuse, of $3,446 on March 4.

Ferrone also admitted the Oneida bank job; all the crimes happened in 2013.

Although no weapons were displayed, the robbers told the tellers they were armed during the course of several of the robberies.

Edwards has been held without bail since his arrest on March 8. Ferrone has likewise been held without bail since his arrest on March 11. They will both continue to be detained until their sentencing, scheduled for Oct. 1 before Senior U.S. District Judge Frederick J. Scullin, Jr.

Bank robbery carries a maximum penalty of 20 years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000 on each count.

The investigation has been a multi-agency effort, including participation by the Dewitt Police Department; the New York State Police; the Guilderland Police Department; the Oneida City Police Department; the Onondaga County Sheriff's Office; the Chicopee, Massachusetts Police Department; Schenectady Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.